WATCH: Shock as mother sleeps while her son dangles on a balcony ledge

A toddler took his play time to another level when he crawled and sat on a balcony ledge on the eighth storey of a tower block located in Coventry. While the young boy’s presence on the balcony ledge horrified passers-by, his mother slept peacefully in her room; oblivious of the impending danger her son faced. He was able to climb up onto the ledge using a chair that was on the balcony.

Neighbour, Debbie Green who first spotted the toddler while talking with her son’s girlfriend immediately alerted the police. “My heart was in my mouth. I was sure he was going to fall to his death”, she said. “I grabbed the phone to call police and my husband got his camera with a zoom to see close up that it actually was a little kid and not some doll.” The police arrived about six minutes later but not before John, Debbie’s husband was able to film the incident. “I feared I was about to film this child’s death. I was amazed he was able to keep his balance”, John said describing the moment.

When the police eventually arrived, they marched straight to the flat where they found the toddler’s mother and a man asleep inside. Informed about what her son was doing, the mother reportedly claimed that her son was safe because of the delicate pigeon netting over the balcony. How a pigeon can prevent a toddler from falling is a question that puzzled many, especially Debbie. “It’s ridiculous. No way would it have held him”, she said. The mother is however grateful to Debbie for saving her son’s life although she claimed she was cleaning when her son went out to the balcony, not sleeping. Her friend who was supposed to watch the boy fell asleep while watching TV. When the police came, he simply walked calmly to the balcony and moved the chair; not phased at all by the fact that the toddler could have died.

Neighbours have claimed that the toddler must have been on the balcony several times in the past “because he was incredibly careful to climb down”. If this is true then it will be a matter for child servicesto follow up on. At the moment however, the police are not taking any further action.

filmed by Debbie here: